Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.
King of Beasts Productions Presents:
Fate/Grand Blunder: A Fate Multicrossover
Chapter 7: Pride and Justice
Chaldea Summoning Chamber. 9:00 AM
"Ah, Noel." Artoria, clad in her signature white blouse, blue skirt, and black stockings, turned to see the aforementioned Archer walk towards her with Ragna, clad in a black coat and hakama, in tow. "How are you faring? I heard about your encounter with that blackguard Eddie recently. It must have been difficult reliving that War."
"I'm doing much better now, actually." Noel, her hair tied in a ponytail with a blue-ribbon whilst clad in a white spaghetti strap and blue capris, smiled at her. It had been a week since the "Eddie Incident", and she was getting back on her feet thanks to her supportive friends in Yang and Futaba, as well as the new support in the form of the Berserker beside her. "Thanks for your concern, and I'm sorry for worrying you all."
"Don't be." Maka, who stood with Artoria while wearing a white blouse and red skirt, frowned. "That Eddie was a jerk for egging you on like that."
"To make it worse, he's wearing that bastard priest's body like a mask." Soul, wearing a black shirt and jeans, growled in disgust.
"If it weren't for Ritsuka telling me not to, I'd have had already given him a piece of my mind by now." Ragna added with disdain in his tone.
"You don't have to go so far, Ragna." Noel admonished him gently. "I don't like him being here as much as any of you, but it's as Ritsuka says: We need every Servant we can get to help repair the Singularities and deal with Solomon. I'll just have to learn how to deal with it."
"...Fine." Ragna nodded begrudgingly. Seeing as this was Noel's decision on the matter, he could do nothing but support her. That doesn't mean he won't try to break Eddie's face the moment things go out of hand a second time.
"Oi, Oi, let's stop talking about that damned priest." They turned to see Cu, clad in a white fitted t-shirt that hugged his muscular chest and jeans, walk beside Ritsuka and Mashu with a grin. "It'll spoil the mood and probably call on something worse than him."
"You make a fair point, Lancer." Artoria let out a small chuckle. "Let us put this all behind us for now and focus on welcoming the new Servant...if any comes today, that is."
"I have a bad feeling that I used up my luck when I summoned Ragna." Ritsuka laughed sheepishly while Mashu patted his shoulder reassuringly.
"I'm sure you'll do fine, Senpai." The Shielder said with a smile. Da Vinci was already at the panel, turning to the Master with her usual mystifying smile.
"Ready to summon, Ritsuka?" The Caster asked.
"Just about." He had three Saint Quartz ready, the minimum requirement for a single summon. He looked to the gathered Servants, all nodding at him, before placing the Quartz in the summoning circle and turning back to the Renaissance Man. "Let's do it."
Da Vinci nodded wordlessly as she began the summoning. The rainbow colored stones vanished into dust as payment for the ritual. Thankfully for the Master, his luck hadn't waned out yet as the three orbs that preceded a summoning were rainbow tinted, which meant a Servant was definitely going to be summoned.
"Yes!" Ritsuka cheered as did some of the others while the spheres of light began spinning rapidly. They formed three rainbow colored rings that surrounded the circle before exploding in a blinding flash of light. Da Vinci, having worn sunglasses before hand, kept her gaze while the others shielded their eyes.
"It's a Berserker!" She called out as the light faded. Standing in the circle, to their utter surprise, was a young girl with short blue hair and eyes to match. Her outfit was basically something out of a Magical Girl anime; she wore a blue and white button down strapless top, a blue skirt, white stockings with a blue stripe, teal boots, a white, thigh-long cape, and two pairs of gloves: one being midnight-blue and elbow-length, while the other being white and the standard length. To compliment the attire, she had a golden fortissimo hair clip on the left side of her hair and a blue sapphire on her visible belly.
"Hey there!" The girl greeted Ritsuka with an upbeat tone. "Are you my Master?"
"Yeah." The young man nodded. "I am Ritsuka Fujimaru. Welcome to Chaldea."
"Chaldea? Hang on..." She looked around to see that she was among Servants. "I'm guessing that this they're all your Servants too and that this isn't your typical Grail War?"
"More or less." Artoria stepped forward with a smile, recognizing the girl from a past Grail War. "It's been a while, Berserker."
"Hang on! Is that you, Saber?!" She recognized the knight with a wide smile. "Nice to see a familiar face here!"
"'Tis good to see you too." The King of Knights chuckled. "But shouldn't you be revealing your identity first?"
"Right, right! Forgot my manners for a second." She then turned to Ritsuka and her fellow Servants, took a deep breath, then introduced herself.
"I'm Sayaka Miki, Magical Girl who fights for Justice and Servant Berserker. I hope we all get along!"
A Few Hours Later...
"Oh...so we're basically fighting together to protect humanity's future?"
"You have grasped the basics, yes." Artoria volunteered to give Sayaka the tour of Chaldea's facilities. It made sense as she was the one most familiar with the Magical Girl from yet another Grail War she fought in. By the this time, she had shown her the VR Training Room, the Orchard/Garden, and the Game Room. "Chaldea's mission is to repair Singularities that have gone awry, claim the Holy Grails within them, and defeat King Solomon before he can put an end to humanity as whole."
"Woah, that's some heavy stuff." Sayaka could only smile. "So we get to act like the heroes we're supposed to be, huh?"
"I'm glad that you never lost that enthusiasm, Sayaka." Artoria responded with a small smile.
"And you seem a more mellow than when we met." The bluenette shot back with a grin of her own.
"I had some interesting experiences before coming here." The Saber answered her. "Through multiple 5th Grail Wars I participated in, there has always been one constant."
"And what was that?" Sayaka asked, to which Artoria responded with a small, warm smile.
"It's a long story." She replied fondly. "One that will take a hearty meal to tell. For now, let's just say that multiple Grail Wars have given me a new perspective on my wish on the Grail."
Sayaka saw a light in Artoria's eyes as she left that vague hint. It was that gleam of someone who had a huge weight lifted off her shoulders and reached a breakthrough. She knew that look well; It was the one she experienced after she watched the boy she loved play one last time before becoming Madoka's attendant. Whether or not she reached a realization regarding that wish, she didn't know. What she didn't know was that there was peace in the King of Knight's heart. That, for certain, was enough for her.
"Well, whatever you did learn, I'm happy for you!" Sayaka answered with a grin. "For what it's worth, I really do think you're the right King for Camelot."
"Thank you, Sayaka." Artoria nodded with a smile as they approached the latest stop of the tour. "This Chaldea's Clothing and Tailoring Department." They entered the room filled with rowed tables with sewing machines atop them. In front of each one was an employee studiously at work sewing fabrics. Moving to and fro were floating white spherical droids the Da Vinci's department built to assist this and the other departments in the daily routine. "As I had learned when I first arrived, Servants can place orders for custom made clothing fit for every occasion."
"That's pretty convenient." Sayaka noted with a nod, scanning the room and noting that Mami would've loved helping here. "Beats having to wear your battle outfit all the time."
"The staff does it's best to keep up with each order, but certain Servants tend to be more extravagant than most." Artoria offered a sigh. "I can't really blame them, as said Servants are quite used to such a luxurious lifestyle."
"Yeowch. Guess we got some primadonnas in the house, huh?" Sayaka winced, thinking of a certain golden-haired prick she and Artoria had encountered in one Grail War. She had hoped that HE wasn't-!
"Oh? You're up and about today, my beautiful Saber. I take it that you're not with that mongrel today." Unfortunately, Sayaka wasn't that luck, as the pompous King of Heroes Gilgamesh materialized in a puff of gold dust, clad in his black jacket, white polo and black jeans. Even now, the Magical Girl felt disgust at the golden hero who claimed he was above all others. "So, will you stop pining over a faker who will never be yours and be mine? To be chosen as the King's bride as the highest honor, you know."
"You already know my answer to your query, Gilgamesh." Artoria answered with a heavy sigh that told Sayaka that this wasn't the first time the King of Knights has had to deal with his advances. "You will never have me, as my heart already belongs to that young man. All you are doing is wasting both our times."
"That mongrel doesn't deserve to have a treasure as radiant as yourself." The King of Heroes scoffed. "And by my right as King, all of the world's treasures belong to me."
"Yup, you're still a prick, Archer." Gilgamesh whipped his head towards Sayaka, who was smirking while placing her arms behind her head. "Honestly, I thought that you were a big jerk before, but not being able to take a hint? Even after being told 'No' repeatedly? I dunno how it was in your time, but in this day and age, that's called being annoying."
"I see that yet another insufferable mongrel has graced these halls." Gilgamesh shot Sayaka a glare, the disgust apparent in his ruby-tinted orbs. "So you've made it to Chaldea as well, little girl."
"Yeah, good to see you too, Goldie." Sayaka answered with a mocking grin and an equally scathing tone. "It's nice to see that you're still the world's biggest piece of work. Still unhealthily interested in Artoria here, too. Though it's a lot worse from what I remember back then."
"You would do well not to get between me and my prize, you impudent brat." The King of Heroes' irritation grew by the second. Not that it deterred the blue-haired Berserker.
"Prize? God, you haven't changed a bit." Sayaka shot back with a rueful smirk. "Still acting as if you own the world, entitled to everything under the sun. I could go on, but that'll waste everyone's time, so I'll just say this: She's not interested, and if she says that she's already spoken for, then that's your cue to back off!"
"And who are you to-?!"
"I believe she summed up everything I had meant to say." Artoria answered him with a steeled gaze. "I am at least willing to work with you to restore humanity's future. That being said, it is as she says, my heart belongs to HIM. Nothing you say or do will convince me otherwise, so I suggest you leave at once and return when you are more cordial, Gilgamesh."
For what seemed to an eternity, Sayaka saw that the workers had stopped sewing and were all staring at the three Servants' argument. The tension in the air was so thick that you could pin a needle on it. The expression on the King of Heroes' face told Sayaka that he wasn't going to take this quietly. Sure enough, several golden ripples appeared behind him while he gnashed his teeth. Sayaka knew what was coming, and judging from Artoria summoning Excalibur in a flash of light, she knew too. The Magical Girl of Justice sighed in dismay as she summoned a cutlass in each hand, wondering if she somehow pissed off Madoka for her first day in Chaldea to take a sour turn.
"Is there a problem?"
Thankfully, Ritsuka had arrived with Mashu and another Servant before things could escalate. The other Servant, who was a recent arrival in Chaldea, was a red-head with a fit physique and a steeled gaze underneath those brown eyes. He wore a white shirt with gray long sleeves, blue jeans, and black shoes.
"Shirou!" Sayaka saw Artoria turn to the red-head with a grateful smile as he walked over to where she was.
"It seems that one of the two scoundrels has made his presence known." Gilgamesh smirked, folding his arms as the golden ripples disappeared.
"Leave her alone, Gilgamesh." The boy narrowed his eyes, glaring at the mighty King of Heroes and not backing down an inch. "She's made her position on your proposal quite clear."
"And who are you to tell me so?" The golden Archer sneered. "You are more of a fraud than your future self; the fact that you latched onto that blacksmith's Saint Graph is the only reason you have been summoned in the first place."
"Blacksmith?" Sayaka wondered as she witnessed the stand-off.
"And so what?" The boy fired back, his gaze meeting the golden king's own glare. "As I have told you many times before, there is no rule that says a fake cannot beat the original. That has been proven in many timelines, if I remember correctly."
"Y-You..." Gilgamesh was about to retort, but found that Ritsuka stepped in between both parties.
"That's enough. There's been too much in-fighting among us, and I won't stand for any more of that." The Master kept a level gaze at the King of Heroes, not backing down an inch. "So please, don't escalate this."
"...Hmph. Very well." Gilgamesh growled as he turned on his heel, walking away with a sneer has he vanished into spirit form. "Don't think that this is over, Faker. Saber WILL be mine."
With that, everyone present released a deep breath of relief the moment the King of Heroes made his exit.
"Yeah, I didn't miss him one bit." Sayaka retorted.
"Sorry that Gil was the first person you had to meet." Ritsuka sighed apologetically. "I hope that doesn't ruin your impression of this place."
"It's all good. In a place crowded with Servants, I was bound to run into a few bad eggs." She then turned to the red-head, smiling when she saw him checking on Artoria with concern. "Thanks, by the way. You must be that 'Faker' that jerk was talking about."
"Yeah, he does love using that word." Said red-head chuckled as he extended his hand for her to shake. "My name is Shirou Emiya, Servant Saber. To be precise, I'm a Pseudo Servant who's housing the spirit of Sengou Muramasa, the legendary blacksmith of 14th Century Japan."
"Wow, that's pretty cool." Sayaka kept her smirk as she turned her gaze to Artoria. "How do you two know each other, then?"
"He was my Master during the 5th War." The knight explained. "Through him, I learned so much about myself and my wish. In fact, it's because of him that I am on the path I am now." As she said this, she had directed a soft smile at the young man's direction, who had returned it in kind.
The bluenette saw this and, as a result, a mirthful grin formed on her face. "Ahh...I see what's going on here. Nice to see that you're popular with the guys, Saber!"
"I-It's not like that!" The Saber pouted in a way Sayaka found adorable.
"Yeah, everyone can see it." Ritsuka chuckled.
"Still, seeing how happy like this makes me happy too." Sayaka affirmed with a nod. "I'm happy that you didn't go through with that wish. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here right now."
"Indeed." She nodded with a smile, which was returned by everyone present.
GRRRRGGGLE!
This tender moment, however, would be ruined by the rumbling of Artoria's stomach.
"I guess we should probably get something to eat." Shirou spoke for her, as she was blushing out of embarrassment. "The cafeteria should be the next part of your tour anyway. Hunger is the enemy, right?"
"Y-Yes..." The Saber added rather bashfully.
"Sounds good. I know Servants don't need to eat, but I can appreciate a good meal." Sayaka answered in kind. With no more words needing to be said, they led the Magical Girl out of the Tailoring Department and straight for the dining hall.
Dining Hall, 12:00 NN
"Woah..."
They all had amused smiles as they watched Sayaka stare completely dumbfounded at her surroundings. They couldn't blame her; as it was already lunch hours at this time of day, many of the staff and Servants would file to the dining hall to take a well deserved mid-day break. As such, she couldn't help but be in awe at the presence of so many heroes.
"A little overwhelming, isn't it?" Ritsuka asked with a helpful smile.
"Y-Yeah. Just, so many legendary heroes in one place." Sayaka slowly began to snap out of it. "I-I mean, you guys told me that you have a lot of Servants, that I didn't think it'd be that many! How do you sustain them all?!"
"The mana generators help a lot." Mashu explained for her Senpai. "Da Vinci, Tesla, Tony had made adjustments so that they could support the multitude of Servants summoned to fight for Chaldea. According to him, up to five hundred Servants can be tethered to it and not want for mana."
"F-Five hundred?!" Sayaka whipped her head around the Shielder in awe. "But how-?!"
"That's something even I'm having a hard time figuring out." The Magical Girl was gawking yet again, this time at the man in a track suit with black hair and a mustache that made him resemble a certain actor. "I mean, we worked on the thing and no one knows what makes it tick yet."
"Hello, Tony." Artoria nodded respectfully. "Were you out for a jog?"
"As a matter of fact, I have. A moderate amount of exercise keeps the mind active, which in turn helps me come up with the wonderful ideas that makes our lives so much easier." The Caster quipped flippantly.
"As modest as ever, I see." Mash rolled her eyes with a smile. She then turned to the bluenette to introduce her. "This is Tony Stark by the way. Tony, this is Sayaka Miki, Servant Berserker."
"Hang on, Tony Stark?!" Sayaka could not help but stare in utter shock and awe. "Iron Man?! THAT Tony Stark?!"
"My reputation precedes me, it seems." The Iron Avenger could not help but chuckle. "You a fan, little lady?"
"Y-Yeah! Of you and other heroes like you!" The Magical Girl of Justice couldn't help but stare in awe at the Iron Avenger. "I guess you can say that it's stories like yours that made me want to follow the path I'm at now."
"While that's sweet of you to say," Tony began. "I'm sure that you realize by now that the hero's journey ain't filled with puppy dogs and rainbows, right?"
"Trust me, learned the lessons. Still going to be a hero!" Sayaka said with a confident grin, which earned her a chuckle from Tony.
"Kid, you're going to fit here just fine-."
"What did you say to me?!"
They turned to the source of the commotion; Elizabeth, whose long pink hair were tied into twin tails and was clad in a pink sleeveless dress, was glaring at another strange girl, who had black holes for eyes, wore a purple top hat over her short orange hair, and wore a dress reminiscent of America in the 1930s. Her other striking feature were the thin metallic arms with red eyes sticking out of each joint.
"Uh, should we-?" Sayaka was about to speak, only for Mash to stop her.
"You're about to see what Chaldea really is like, Sayaka." The Shielder explained to her as they watched the scene, though along with the rest of the group were ready to jump in the moment something happens.
"You heard me, toots!" The girl, the Servant Archer only known as Peacock, grinned cheekily at the wanna-be idol. "Your voice sounds like a cat being grinded against the blackboard claws first."
"How dare you!" Elizabeth shot back with shaking fists. "I practice day and night to be the perfect idol to liven up Chaldea's day! You wouldn't know good singing if it hit you with an ironing board!" Robin Hood would jump in between them to try and stop things from escalating.
"Now, ladies. Let's not-!"
"Ironing board? Kinda accurate, since you're flat like one!" Peacock guffawed much to Liz' growing irritation. "Trust me when I say this; Don't quit your day job, toots! Bein' a pop idol just ain't for you!"
"Why you-?!" Without even thinking, Liz grabbed the nearest plate she could reach, ignoring Deadpool's screams of "No, My Chimichangas!", and threw it at the offending Archer with all her might...who ducked it. Instead, it hit the person behind her, the clueless Berserker Frankenstein, dead in the face with enough force to knock her into the ground.
"Fran!" Peacock, having found a friend in the artificial human, knelt down beside her. "Speak to me! Don't go in to the light!"
"Uh..." Was the Berserker's only reply, wondering why she had hot chunks of Mexican food on her face. She was dazed, but otherwise unharmed. Still, that didn't stop Peacock from whipping her head at the offending Lancer.
"You realize, that this means WAR!" Peacock grabbed the plate of fish and chips she had been chowing down on and threw it at Liz, who herself ducked and watched as it hit Wade instead. The Assassin would then grab someone else's food and throw it, hitting some poor uninvolved sap.
"So it has begun." Artoria surprised Sayaka with the grim expression she reserved for battles.
"Huh?" Was the only thing the bewildered Magical Girl can say, as Shirou, Mash, Tony and Ritsuka grimaced as well.
"One Chaldea's greatest battles fought every so often." Mash said as she summoned her shield. "It is a grueling ordeal that scars many a soul. And it is called-"
"FOOD FIGHT!"
And so begins one of many of Chaldea's great food fights. Many of the Servants, and few of the staff even, brazenly enter the fray while many more hide in whatever cover they could. Time slowed down as so many things happened at once as Shirou and Artoria flipped at table over and, using Reinforcement on the red-head's part, used it as a make-shift shelter as the carnage unfolded before them, with Mash doing the same with her shield, beckoning Ritsuka to take cover with her.
Among the things that happened amidst the chaos and flying entrees was an impromptu duel between Yuuki, Absolute Sword and Servant Saber, and Akame, Servant Assassin, with them using loaves of bread as makeshift swords on top a table, somehow not breaking under the power of the their swings.
Edmond Dantes was cackling diabolically while throwing oranges before getting the lights punched out of him by Yang, who had turkeys in each hand like they were oversize boxing gloves, then turned to see the Rider Makoto Nijima jumped to the table she was on, her own fists engulfed in turkerys before engaging her in a fist fight, all while Futaba cheered on from the sidelines.
Tony could be seen with his face on the floor, having been made one of the many casualties of this brawl when a pie nailed him in the back of his head while his attacker, the Servant Caster Megumin laughed deviously before a whole cake smacked her in the face from an errant throw by Deadpool. And of course, Peacock and Elizabeth exchanged barrages of whatever food they could get their hands on.
Sayaka would snap out her reverie when she saw a watermelon fly straight at her. Thinking fast, she summoned a cutlass and skewered it, then spun on her heel to get enough momentum before hurling it back at the offending thrower, Nobunaga.
"NOBU!" She cried as the large green fruit slammed her in the face, exploding into green and red gushes of fruit.
"Ah, Berserker. I almost missed you in the chaos." She turned to see a slender man with slicked back black hair, clad in a green t-shirt, black jeans, and sneakers. His defining feature was the beauty mark under his right eye. "Nice throw, by the way."
"Hey, Lancer!" Sayaka grinned at the friendly face from her war. "Nice to see ya here!"
"The feeling is mutual." The Knight of Fianna known as Diarmuid Ua Duibhne only smirked as he caught a large meat-on-the-bone that was thrown at him by a grinning Iskandar. He threw it back at the King of Conquerors, who dodged to the right and let it hit his hapless retainer Waver instead. "We can talk later, but for now, how about we resume our alliance from our last War?" The response was a cheeky grin from the Magical Girl of Justice.
"I like the sound of that!"
After the Food Fight...
"Oh? So you have just arrived today?"
"Pretty much. Artoria showed me a lot of the stuff before we ran into our old friend Gilgamesh." Sayaka would recount the events leading up to the chaotic food fight to Diarmuid, making sure to add extra disdain when she mentioned the King of Heroes. "By the way, it's pretty cool of you to take over for her."
"She volunteered to make sure that the instigators Elizabeth and Peacock clean up the mess. Considering the past alliance between us and our Masters, it only felt right that I shall be your escort for the rest of your tour." Diarmuid chuckled as he walked beside her.
"Still the gentleman, like always. I'm sure all the ladies flock to you, even without that love spot of yours!" Sayaka giggled at the sight of the knight acting sheepish, amused that she unwittingly hit the mark.
"While Paracelsus and Oberyn were kind enough to develop a potion that counteracts the effects of my love spot, I still find myself at the receiving end of many a woman's affections." Diarmuid sighed.
"Even without it, you're kinda handsome." Sayaka noted with a smile. "Anyone catch your eye?"
"Sadly, after my past experiences, romance is not a priority for me." The Knight of Fianna remarked with a smile. "For now, I am content in fighting for a Master with a noble cause. Perhaps someday, but that will not be for a while."
"I see." Sayaka nodded in understanding. "So, anything else I need to see?"
"Well, I can show you Seventh Heaven." Diarmuid offered helpfully. Seeing the Magical Girl's confused expression, he answered away. "It is sort of a bar/lounge established by one our Servants, Tifa Lockheart. She makes some delicious non-alcoholic drinks I'm sure you'll appreciate. Also, the desserts are to die for."
"You had me at desserts!" Sayaka grinned as she followed him to the entrance of Seventh Heaven. Just as they did, though...
"So, you've come, Sayaka Miki. A little surprising, but not unexpected."
The bluenette's eyes widened upon recognized that cold tone of voice. She turned around and, sure enough, she saw the source of said voice; a familiar raven-haired girl, dressed in her battle regalia, was walking towards the pair with a stoic expression.
"Ah, Homura. I didn't see you earlier at lunch." Diarmuid remarked, though he felt the need to add. "You two know each other?"
"I was doing some extra training, so I was surprised to find the lunch hall in a state of disarray." Homura responded. "So I decided to have a small snack only to find-"
"You!" Brimming with justifiable anger, Sayaka stomped towards Homura and grabbed the girl by the cuff, forcing her to look her in the eye. "You've got some nerve showing up here, especially after all you've done!"
"Sayaka, what-?!" Diarmuid was about to intervene, only for Homura to raise her hand.
"Don't. I deserve every ounce of her anger." Homura kept her cool demeanor, which only served to irritate the bluenette even more. "So? Say what needs to be said, Sayaka Miki. I won't try to fight back."
"Oh, don't worry, I have PLENTY to say!" Sayaka growled as she shoved her against the wall. "Like for starters, you honestly think that little calm and cool act you always put up will make me forget what you've done?! How you screwed up the Law of Cycles?! You undid everything Madoka sacrificed herself for, damn it! All because of your selfish desire to be with her again!"
"Is this true?" Diarmuid asked, obviously bewildered by the revelations. "That she and your friend you mentioned...?"
"It is as she says." Homura promptly answered him. "And while you certainly won't believe my words now, I acknowledge that what I did was deplorable. Even so, if it meant ensuring Madoka's safety, I would do it again."
"Why, you-?!" Sayaka raised her fist and was just about to throw it at the Magical Girl of Time when a small meek voice spoke out.
"Uhm, can you please not hurt Homura-san?"
They all turned to see another girl meekly approach them. She wore a pink cat-eared hoodie that hid a white t-shirt, black shorts and brown loafers. What shocked Sayaka the most was that underneath that hoodie, other than the deep purple eyes, was the the pink pig-tailed styled hair that reminded her of the aforementioned girl they were talking about.
"M-Madoka?" The bluenette dared ask.
"Homura-san made the same mistake, but I'm not her." The girl introduced herself. "My name is Mamika Kirameki, Servant Caster. From the show 'Magical Slayer Mamika', if you're wondering."
"O-Oh..."
"Anyway," The pinkette spoke up. "Can you two please not fight? I have no idea what happened between you two, but Homura-san has been nothing but kind to me. So can you please let her go?"
"I know not what happened between you two, but Homura has done nothing but help Chaldea." Diarmuid added. "If you're up for it, we can hear the story in Seventh Heaven."
"...Fine." Sayaka relaxed and let go of the Magical Girl of Time, taking deep breaths to calm herself. "Lead the way, then. It's gonna be a long story."
With a nod exchanged between the three of them, they led the newest Berserker into the bar for some desserts and an interesting tale to tell.
"I see..."
Sayaka looked at Diarmuid's and Mamika's surprised expression as she recounted her history with Homura, with the blackette herself adding in whatever she could for what was missed.
"Yeah, now you know my history with the transfer student over here." The bluenette nodded as she took a scoop of her chocolate parfait.
"I didn't know...that other Magical Girls can suffer like this..." Mamika was absolutely horrified at what she had heard, her strawberry parfait all but forgotten. "I mean, I learned that the world works differently from where I'm from, but even this shocks me..."
"The circumstances are different in your world, no doubt." Homura sighed as she downed a spoonful of vanilla ice cream. "It helps that you don't have a devil in the form of a white plushie luring young girls into questionable contracts..."
"The Law of Cycles that my friend was a way to prevent all that. She wanted to give girls like us a hope..." She then turned a glare at Homura. "A hope you took away."
"I can see why you share an enmity with Homura." Diarmuid nodded thoughtfully. "However, it is as she said; she believes that her actions were deplorable. She even mentioned a Holy Grail War in Fuyuki she participated in to fulfill her wish."
"You did now?" Sayaka raised her brow, still fully distrusting her contemporary.
"While I realize now that I fought for the wrong side, my wish still remains." Homura nodded. "However, over the course of my time here, I have learned that there were better ways I could have gone about it."
"Gee, ya think?" Sayaka rolled her eyes. "The fact that you'd do it all again alone makes this all messed up."
"I realize that." The bluenette did a double take at what she had just heard. Did Homura actually agree with her? Did she just admit that while her intentions were good, the way she went about it was uncalled for?
"I know now that the way I ultimately went about it was not the correct one." Homura continued before Sayaka could even speak. "I started asking myself if that is what she truly wanted. Is her safety more important than her happiness? Am I willing to damn everything and everyone, just to have her back?"
"...You should tell her that when she gets here." Sayaka groaned, more annoyed than angry now. "I mean, if we're here, then there's a good chance that she'll show up too."
"That's something I'm afraid of, but I've learned how to live with." Homura sighed, which caused the bluenette to chuckle a little. She then extended her hand to her as if to shake her hand. "If it is all right with you, I would like to propose a truce and set aside our differences. At least until Solomon has been taken care of."
Seeing that Mamika and Diarmuid were watching her, Sayaka could only sigh.
"Man, way to put the pressure on me, you two." The Magical Girl of Justice took that hand and shook it, a sign that she accepted her offer. "'Sides, it won't do me any good if I'm mad at you all the time. Kyoko would slap me upside the head otherwise for sulking."
"It's nice to see that you're finally getting along Sadayo-san!"
"Eh?" Sayaka raised her brow at Mamika, who kept blushing as she said the wrong name.
"O-Oh, I'm sorry Ayaka-! I mean, Sayoko-! Ohh..." Sayaka just turned to the two; Diarmuid had an amused smile on his face while Homura shrugged.
"It's a habit of hers. You'll get used to it." The Magical Girl of Time promptly replied as she continued to eat her parfait. "After we finish this up, Mamika and I would like to help you show Sayaka around, if you don't mind."
"Not at all." The spear man nodded as Sayaka began helping herself to more of her parfait.
"Ahh! That hit the spot!" Sayaka sighed as she pat her belly, causing Mamika to giggle.
"You must like to eat a lot, Sayaka-san!" The Magical Slayer asked, to which the blue-haired girl affirmed.
"Yup!" Sayaka nodded. "It's as Artoria keeps saying: Hunger is the enemy!"
"You're a bundle of energy as always, Sayaka." Homura said before turning to Diarmuid. "What's the next stop of your tour?"
"I was actually planning to take her to the Cryogenic Chamber where they keep the coffins." He answered, earning him a look of confusion from Sayaka.
"Coffins?" She asked.
"Might as well show her." Homura nodded in agreement. "Show her those who have fallen and why Ritsuka and the other staff are so adamant in keeping the fight going."
"Woah..."
An overused sentiment, Sayaka thought, but one that conveyed her thoughts quite clearly. Unlike the other sights, this one was more somber; In a dark room lit only by dimmed electric blue lights coming from the tron lines that encircled the room, the air around them dropped several degrees. At the center stage stood forty seven steel coffins glowing with that same dull hue as the rest of the room.
Being in this place, Sayaka could not help but feel as if she was standing in the midst of a graveyard.
"What...what is this place?" The Magical Girl asked in a quiet tone, afraid of the answer she might receive.
"These," Diarmuid explained. "Were to be the other forty seven Masters to fight by Ritsuka's side before calamity occurred."
"W-What?" Sayaka asked in shock. "H-How? What happened to them?"
"They were betrayed by Lev Laynor, former Chief Advisor and Researcher of Chaldea." Homura added with a grim tone. "Us 'Irregular Servants' weren't around for Singularity F up until the start of Okeanos, but from what we heard, it was a horrible affair. An explosion injured all the other Masters, which is why they're in these coffins now. Had Ritsuka been present at the time of the explosion, he would've joined them, thus robbing Humanity of it's last hope."
"And where is this Lev now?" Sayaka asked.
"According to what I heard from Nero and Mash, Altera had disposed of him in Rome." Diarmuid answered. "Still, he was only a pawn of the true enemy, King Solomon."
"Damn...that's deep stuff." Sayaka slowly scanned the room to take everything in, then turned to Homura and Diarmuid. "There's a reason you two agreed to bring me here, right?"
"Indeed, there are two." Homura nodded, her own expression somber. "The first, to pay respects to those who can't fight alongside us, and the second, to remind ourselves of just what the enemy is capable of."
"Right..." Sayaka nodded, feeling kind of weird that she was agreeing with Homura's sentiments. Nevertheless, she and Mamika stepped forward and bowed their heads in reverence.
"Sorry this had to happen to you all. Never met you all personally, but this shouldn't happen to anyone." Sayaka murmured. She felt herself well up with emotion as she clenched her fist. "I vow upon my pride and justice as a Magical Girl...I will see that the King of Magic is stopped."
Satisfied with what she had to say, Sayaka lifted her head and, after exchanging nods with Mamika and the rest, began walking out of the room-
"H-Help...M-Me..."
She stopped dead in her tracks, eyes widening at the soft, pleading voice she had just heard that was followed by loud thumping. She slowly turned to her companions and, upon seeing the same expression on their face, knew that she wasn't the only who heard it.
"Who said that?" Diarmuid asked in confusion.
"H-Help me...Please...I don't...want to die...!"
Hearing the same voice again, Sayaka could detect the desperation and the fear in that definitely female voice. Thinking quickly, she turned back. Her eyes darted around the room, looking for the source until-!
"There!" They all rushed towards where Mamika was pointing. They arrived at the far end of the stage and saw it; The coffin labeled 0047 was shaking back and forth, the dim blue light replaced by a now bright red as alarms finally began to blare. In the small slot, they saw her; A girl, naked as the day she was born and orange hair that flowed a little past her shoulders, was slamming her fist against the door in a panicked frenzy. Her hazel tinted eyes were wide with terror as she struggled to get out.
"S-S-She's awake?!" Mamika gasped in utter shock while Homura and Diarmuid looked on in disbelief.
"But that means..." Homura then saw that the systems that were maintaining the girl's life support systems were offline "That's impossible! But how?!" She was about to ponder even more when Sayaka spoke up.
"We can ask questions later!" She shouted as she brought out her sabers. "Right now, we need to save her!"
"Sayaka, what are you-?" Homura did not get to finish that question; The Magical Girl wasted no time cutting down the thick cables that connected the Master's Coffin to the power grid. Following her lead, Homura pulled out a handgun from her shield and shot off the hinges. With the power cut, the doors automatically open for the trapped girl. Thankfully, Diarmuid was right there to catch her as she fell. He then turned to Mamika with a sense of urgency.
"Go get help!" He said as the girl in his arms went into a coughing fit. "Ritsuka, Da Vinci, ANYONE!"
"R-Right!" Mamika stammered as she ran out the door, looking to find anyone she could.
"She's like Madoka, all right." Sayaka couldn't help but cast a fond smile at her direction, but it quickly disappeared as she turned to the girl in the knight's arms. The sight was rather sad, as she was trembling out of the cold and breathing heavily as air entered her lungs. Seeing the female Master was naked and scared, she asked in a gentle tone of voice. "Hey, you alright?"
"I-I am n-now..." The girl managed in a weak voice. She slowly turned her head to Sayaka, a small smile of gratitude on her face. "Th-Thank you for saving me."
"Hehehe...Just another day in the job, really." Sayaka laughed meekly as she scratched her head, prompting both Homura and Diarmuid to chuckle. "Anyway, more help will be coming soon, so save your strength, alright?"
"Y-Yeah..." The orange haired girl nodded as she closed her eyes. "I'll do just that..."
Infirmary, 5:00 PM
"So...how is she?"
Sayaka, along with Homura, Diarmuid and Mamika, were with Ritsuka and Roman as they waited for Florence Nightingale to finish her examination. Upon being greeted by that question from the young Master, the silver-haired field medic responded.
"Thankfully, it seems that the serious injuries she had sustained have healed due to her in cryosleep." She responded with a smile. "She is understandably shaken by her near-death experience, but she is quite fortunate that the worst of her physical injuries are over. Still, she will need a few days of bed rest. Three days at the least."
"Thank goodness." Roman sighed in relief, his legs giving out on him as he sat down. "If one of the other Masters died under my watch...I don't think I can take it..."
"Did you know her personally, Roman?" Ritsuka asked, a question Sayaka was curious about to.
"Her name is Rachelle Fleming, the 47th Master Candidate. I only met her when Da Vinci and I were interviewing for potential Masters to fill the slots. She wasn't a particular stand-out in Magecraft compared to the earlier Masters, but when we tested her aptitude for Rayshifting, she matched the entire 100% success rate." He then added a smile as he looked at Ritsuka. "Much like the one standing before me now."
"I see..." He nodded thoughtfully.
"At any rate, she needs her rest." Nightingale added with a small smile. "You can pester her with questions once she's healthy enough to take them."
"Right then. It's just about time for dinner anyway." With a nod, Ritsuka beckoned the three Servants involved to follow him.
"Wonder what he wants to talk about?" Sayaka pondered. "Probably to scold us for acting so rashly..."
They stop just outside the Dining Hall when Ritsuka turned to face them with a smile.
"You four did well today." The Master affirmed to their surprise, then turned to Sayaka. "I heard that you were the one who spurred the others to act by literally cutting the coffin's power."
"W-Well, I just acted out of instinct, is all..." Sayaka laughed sheepishly.
"It was good instincts, nonetheless." He nodded, then turned to the other three. "Homura did good in assisting Sayaka open the coffin, Diarmuid for tending to Rachelle, and Mamika for coming to find us."
"Thank you." Homura bowed her head, as did Diarmuid and Mamika.
"Thanks to you guys, Chaldea's got another reason to hope." Ritsuka nodded. "You all saved a life, as heroes should. You four should stand proud."
"Geez, all this praise is embarrassing." Sayaka's cheeks blushed, causing Mamika and Diarmuid to laugh. To her surprise, even Homura looked amused.
"Well, I guess we should get dinner, then." Ritsuka smiled as he opened the door.
"Right!"
All in all, it was an eventful first day for Sayaka Miki, Magical Girl of Justice. She had no idea what to expect when she was summoned in Chaldea. Even now, she had didn't know what was in store for her in the days onward. Still, after everything that had happened today, she was looking forward to what was coming next.
End
A/N: Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to yet another chapter of Fate/Grand Blunder!
Yes, your eyes do not deceive you; it's Sayaka Miki of Madoka Magica fame taking center stage! A huge, HUGE thanks to Rowan Seven for letting me use his story "Fate Affectibus Desiderantes" as memories for Sayaka to draw on.
I honestly didn't expect this chapter as long as it did, but I'm kinda glad that it did! As always, here are a few things I wanna talk about:
- Rachelle Fleming is, indeed, my version of Gudako/Gabrielle Rutherford of Fragments, which means that Chaldea will be getting a second Master soon. Of course, I intend to make her a very different character from GhostXavier's take on her. And no, she's not gonna be a psycho obsessed with
- I took time to compose a short timeline of what Ritsuka was up to from Okeanos (When Irregular Servants started showing up) to when Artoria was summoned (i.e Chapter 1 of Fate/Grand Blunder). It's complete with Ritsuka's Servant line-up and a brief summary of events in that particular Singularity. And here it is:
Okeanos -
Ritsuka's Lineup:
Frontline - Mashu, Yang (Berserker, RWBY), Cu Chulainn (Lancer, Fate)
Reserve - Tanya (Archer, Saga of Tanya the Evil), Nero (Saber, Fate), Futaba Sakura (Caster, Persona 5)
Mostly the same stuff happened (With Tanya bombarding Herakles and Yang fighting him 1v1 after), a more malevolent Servant became the final villain of the Singularity - Davy Jones (Pirates of the Caribbean) as Servant Rider/Foreigner. Drake was scared shitless due to his reputation of being the undertaker of all pirates. They were only able to defeat him with the help of Whitebeard (Lancer), who sacrificed himself to defeat the monstrous pirate. Also, Jack Sparrow (Also Pirates of the Carribean) partnered up with Drake.
London -
Ritsuka's Lineup:
Frontline - Mashu, Guan Yu (Rider, Dynasty Warriors), Iron Man (Marvel)
Reserve - Kyoko Kirigiri (Ruler, Danganronpa), Medusa (Rider, Fate) Noel Vermillion (Archer/Slayer, Blazblue)
Gunvolt (Archer, Azure Striker Gunvolt) was Mordred's partner of sorts in the field while investigating the Demon Fog. Also, Misaka Mikoto (Certain Magical Index/Certain Scientific Railgun) appeared with Kintoki and Tamamo to delay Tesla.
America - Edison's camp gets additional help from Robert E. Lee (Servant Ruler), P. T Barnum (Servant Caster), and Alexander Hamilton (Servant Archer) in the fight against the Celts. That's all I have for this so
- And lastly, I thought about what was I was going to do with the Alternate Singularities, and I've decided to save them for until AFTER Solomon's Temple, which will be a five (?) chapter mini-series. The reason is because I feel that they fit more in the Epic of Remnant setting. Other than that, my lips are sealed on the rest of the details for
That's all I pretty much had to say. Please leave a review if you enjoyed this chapter. I'd like to hear your feed back. As always, I'll leave a stat sheet for Miss Miki here (Taken from Rowan Seven's fic, but with my own twist to it.). Until next time, this is the King of Beasts signing off!
Servant: Berserker
Identity: Sayaka Miki
Aliases/Titles: Magical Girl of Justice
Series: Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Sex: Female
Alignment: Lawful Good
Strength: C
Endurance: B
Agility: A
Mana: C
Luck: D
Class Skills
Mad Enhancement - is the Class Skill that characterizes a Berserker, raising basic parameters and strengthens one's physical abilities in exchange of hindering mental capacities and/or in exchange for their sense of reason.[In some cases, it also affects and/or seals away some techniques, Personal Skills and Noble Phantasms.
E-A - She possesses a unique form of it called "Rhapsody" that grants her Pain Suppression (False). While the higher ranks of Mad Enhancement would usually corrupt her Soul Gem, it is no longer an issue.
Personal Skills
Divinity - is the measure of whether one has Divine Spirit aptitude or not.
C: She gains this trait after ascending unto the Law of Cycles as the Goddess Madoka's attendant, making her an angel of sorts.
Ally of Justice - A skill that defines a hero fighting for a noble cause.
C: Her parameters and Noble Phantasm increase by one rank if she is fighting for a noble cause, and they decrease if she fights for a goal that opposes her own morals.
Decretum: is a Skill that allows as Servant to recover from injuries
A: She can heal and regenerate from any sort of wound, though it will expend large amounts of mana.
Mana Burst(Allegro): is the increase in performance caused by infusing one's weapons and body with Magical Energy and instantly expelling it. Simply put, recreating the effect of a jet burst by expending large amounts of Magical Energy.
B: She can temporarily augment her physical and magical capabilities using spell circles with musical motifs. Mostly used in her Spark Edge and Typhoon attacks.
Noble Phantasm
Soul Gem: Symbol of a Maiden's Contract - A (Self) - The crystalization of her soul, it is the proof of her contract as a Puella Magi. So long as it exists, Berserker cannot die, as it is even capable of regenerating lost limbs and organs. However, the Servant CAN die if the Soul Gem is destroyed, regardless of any injuries to the physical body. Also, it cannot be away from Berserker for more than a 1000 Meters, lest her body becomes an empty shell. Corruption due to overuse of magic or overwhelming emotions used to be a problem, but either due to her unique state as a herald of the Law of Cycles, or perhaps Chaldea's unique summoning, it's not an issue. It also grants her Battle Continuation (A), Instinct (A), and Magic Detection (C).
Symposium Magarium (Doppel): Symphony of the Witch- A++ (Anti Unit/Anti-Army) - In a past Grail War, losing her Soul Gem to corruption would end with her summoning the Labyrinth of Oktavia von Seckendorff that would sap the life of anything inside, giving her only thirty minutes of protection from the Law of Cycles before the Witch Oktavia Von Seckendorff can hatch, thus shattering. However, due to being summoned this time as a herald of the Law of Cycles and utilizing the magic known as Doppel, she can now manifest the Witch itself under her complete control so long as there is a body of water. If there isn't, she can use her own blood as a substitute.